Gargantua and Pantagruel eBook

indigence, want, and penury. Now as he was just
amongst them, Pantagruel said unto him, Let me entreat
you, friend, that you may be pleased to stop here a
little and answer me to that which I shall ask you,
and I am confident you will not think your time ill
bestowed; for I have an extreme desire, according to
my ability, to give you some supply in this distress
wherein I see you are; because I do very much commiserate
your case, which truly moves me to great pity.
Therefore, my friend, tell me who you are; whence
you come; whither you go; what you desire; and what
your name is. The companion answered him in
the German (The first edition reads “Dutch.”)
tongue, thus:

’Albarildim gotfano dechmin brin alabo dordio
falbroth ringuam albaras. Nin portzadikin almucatin
milko prin alelmin en thoth dalheben ensouim; kuthim
al dum alkatim nim broth dechoth porth min michais
im endoth, pruch dalmaisoulum hol moth danfrihim lupaldas
in voldemoth. Nin hur diavosth mnarbotim dalgousch
palfrapin duch im scoth pruch galeth dal chinon, min
foulchrich al conin brutathen doth dal prin.’
Do you understand none of this? said Pantagruel to
the company. I believe, said Epistemon, that
this is the language of the Antipodes, and such a
hard one that the devil himself knows not what to
make of it. Then said Pantagruel, Gossip, I know
not if the walls do comprehend the meaning of your
words, but none of us here doth so much as understand
one syllable of them. Then said my blade again:

’Lord, if you be so virtuous of intelligence
as you be naturally relieved to the body, you should
have pity of me. For nature hath made us equal,
but fortune hath some exalted and others deprived;
nevertheless is virtue often deprived and the virtuous
men despised; for before the last end none is good.’
(The following is the passage as it stands in the
first edition. Urquhart seems to have rendered